Second Chance
by elizabethruthkyle
Summary: Naruto dies after fighting Sasuke. While the village mourns, Sasuke is accepted back into Konohagakure due to his brave actions. Years pass and the Uchiha was slowly regaining himself until one day when going to visit Naruto's grave he finds it empty.
1. Chapter 1

Everything was so calm.

It was strange after all that had just happened but the sky above was bluer than he had ever seen it, the air crisp and hitting their faces. They panted like dogs in the heat, the left side of his torso had long lost any feeling due to the amount of blood loss. The sun was beating down on them and giving no mercy but they were alive to feel it and that itself was a miracle.

"Hey, you still alive over there?"

Sasuke turned his head, just a bit, to look over at the grinning blond who's left eye was swollen shut and bruising all around him.

"Worry about yourself, idiot."

He chuckled and coughed, a groan escaping from him at the pain.

"My head hurts. God, we really did it this time huh Sasuke?."

Naruto panted hard against the damp soil, his back expanding with each breath. It came out harsh and the limb that was missing the arm flinched and wobbled as if it still had its arm.

"Ugh, damn it. My head."

The Uchiha looked at him as he squirmed, hands trembling. He tried to stretch his right arm but everything hurt too much. The blond groaned in pain and clutched at his chest. Naruto grabbed at his shirt and tried to tear it off, something felt like it was clawing at his chest and ripping him open.

He gasped as his heart thrummed with pain and suddenly he went silent.

"Naruto, stop that!"

Sasuke growled but all he could do was stare, his body failing on him and all as his breaths came in shallow spurts. Blue eyes stared up at the sky for a second before making the effort to look at Sasuke. The Uchiha, in turn, felt his own breath quickning as Naruto attempted a crack of a smile.

"I can't believe it..."

The edges of his eyes began to glaze over, almost like when the sun set and took the light with it. Suddenly, everything looked too bright and normal and as Sasuke's eyes widen, obsidian orbs suddenly felt like someone was trying to scratch them out. The smile stayed on Naruto's face as turned back to the sky and the light faded.

"At least I got you back."

He exhaled slowly.

And then...

Nothing.

He didn't move, his chest had released air and hadn't inhale anymore. His eyes stared up endlessly and all Sasuke saw was red. Churning, seathing, scorching red. His eye bled and mixed in with the salt water that fell down his cheeks and for a moment the world stopped.

And then he screamed to the heavens.

A blood curdling scream that lasted for so long it left his throat aching raw and burning when he realized there was no more voice to scream with. He stayed there, with an unmoving body that was losing its heat and no one around help them out. A body that would not laugh out loud, that would not yell at him and punch him when he needed it. He looked strange, almost ethereal against the destroyed earth and blood caked in his blond hair. His face was uncomfortably calm and pale and for some reason Sasuke could not look away.

Out of nowhere pink hair came into view. Sakura was yelling and there were tears pouring out of her eyes as she pumped green chakra into him and at one point even punched Naruto's still chest hoping for a response. She was still screaming but he couldn't hear her.

Sasuke couldn't seem to function at the moment and in his mind he was furious at himself. There could be something he could be doing, to try and help her, to try and revive his friend but his mind and body seemed to not be cooperating and so he just limply stared as Kakashi tried hauling Sakura away from their fallen comrade who continued staring at the heavens as if all the answers were there.


	2. Chapter 2

~7 years later

"Mom! Have you seen where my kunai is? The one with the blue and red handle?"

Sakura methodically washed the dishes, all too used to her sons boisterous attitude.

"Did you try looking in your pouch Tadashi?"

The child appeared by the door to the kitchen with an almost comical look on his face. At seven years old, he possessed some expressions that she had only seen long ago on another person and every time she thought to much about it, a heavy feeling would pool in her stomach.

"Of course I did, that was the first place I looked in."

She could almost hear the missing 'duh' in the sentence but it had been a habit that his father had quickly made sure would not continue.

"I think dad might have it. I can't remember if he had said he was going to go get it sharpened or something."

Uchiha Tadashi mumbled as he scratched the back of his head.

"Mama, Usa broke again."

The little girl walked in with teary eyes and a limp looking rabbit in her hand. Sakura bent to her level and grabbed the toy gently in her hands to inspect it. The right ear hung limp and torn from the seam and one of the buttons for the eyes had long since fallen and never recuperated.

"No worries Sarada, Usa will be good as new in no time."

Sarada sniffed and wiped her eyes. For a four year old, she was quite smart and often trailed after her oldest brother on whatever grand adventure he would come up for them. There was a loud wail of crying in another room and Sakura sighed, shook her head and patted her daughters cheek.

"Go get ready for school, both of you."

It took her a moment to get back on her feet; the sudden gain of weight was throwing her body off and it made it more difficult to lift herself up.

"I'm coming Kisuke, I'm coming."

The toddler cried out loud as she entered the nursery. With a red face and clenched fists, he yelled on his cot as he tried to roll over on his stomach.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

Picking up her baby boy, she cooed and patted his back in hopes of calming him down. For a moment he stopped and looked at her with big, black eyes and squirmed in her arms as he noticed that he had finally been picked up and was receiving attention. His fever had subsided but he was still a bit too warm for her liking.

"We're going to have to visit the hospital today, won't we?"

He giggled and a bit of drool slid out from his mouth. The nursery hadn't changed much in the times it's been used. The only thing that had changed had been the positioning of the cot and the play mats but other than that she hadn't seen the reason in replacing the toys and sheets when Sarada had been born. Children liked toys whether they were for girls or for boys so Sakura had left the nursery just had it had been built originally.

Grabbing the baby sling and placing him in the pouch, she adjusted the knot on her back and kissed the top of his black baby soft hair.

"Tadashi, Sarada! Come on!"

Tadashi came out from his room grumbling about the lost kunai and slinging his book bag over his shoulder. Sarada skipped by him, the worry about Usa already leaving her mind and grabbed her mothers hand. Sakura passed her hand over her daughters hair to try to tame the wild mane Sarada called hair but she knew it was useless.

"Did you grab your homework?"

Sakura closed the door to the house behind her as she sternly looked at her eldest son. His lip protruded and he placed his hands behind his head as he 'harrumphed' and walked down their porch and onto their yard.

"Yeah, yeah. Will dad be home when we get back? I need to ask him if he has my kunai. I had promised Mitsuki and Shikadai that I was going to show it to them today."

They made a right from their house and left the tiny Uchiha compound that had been built in remembrance of the fallen clan after the war ended and the construction of the village had continued.

"You know it depends on the day Tadashi. He's over by the grave this morning so when he's ready he'll come back."

A silence went over her little family. Although young, they were used to their father disappearing and not returning until later on in the day. At first Sakura had been worried because it would be hours before he came home. He wasn't in bed in the morning when she awoke and would walk into the house by the time the sun was setting on the horizon. With time, thoughts of him leaving and having found someone else slowly crept into her mind and would worsen with each passing thought. He never shared where he went, never spoke what he did during the long hours he was away.

Until finally she confronted him when her own imagination had become too much for her. He had let her unleash her frustrations on him one day when he had walked through the gate of their yard. She had yelled, she had cried and had pounded on his chest and let him know just what she thought. She told him how much she missed their fallen friend, how he was a comfort for the loss she felt and that if she lost him too then she would feel like she had nothing anymore. He let her finish until she became a sobbing mess on his chest, her arms hanging limply on her sides and shoulders shaking with each whimper.

He placed his hands on her and softly pushed her so that he was able to look down at her. He sighed and closed his eyes, looking beyond his years for a second before a small smile appeared on his face. For a moment, she was speechless. She couldn't remember when the last time she had seen him wear such an expression.

He wiped her tears away and calmly explained how he had taken it upon himself to care for the personal grave site that had been given to Naruto after the large funeral that had been given to everyone to mourn had finished. A statue had been erected for the fallen hero and a special plaque had been made to be placed at the feet of it.

It had been the old Team 7 decision that the body be taken to a site and no one be told about it except a select few. He went there to pay his respects and would clean whatever fallen leaves or debris happen to have fallen the night before. With time he had created a small training area where he would practice and train on a wooden dummy and would often meditate and lose track of time.

He stopped for a moment and seemed to be somewhere far away. All Sakura could do was gape at his words and feel slightly embarrassed at what her own mind had created.

Sakura had been surprised to see his sleeping form the next morning when she had woken. His back was to her and his breaths were quiet but he was there nonetheless. By the time she had finished feeding Sarada, whom was still small and breast feeding at the time, Sasuke had Tadashi in his arm and said that he was going to take him to the pre-academy center. After that, he had disappeared and hadn't come back until later in the afternoon with the little boy proudly grinning at the attention of his father.

He had done the same for Sarada but there were certain days where the image he had created would crack for a couple of days and he would go off and disappear and then return and become the dad his kids needed him to be.

"Good morning Sakura-san!"

Moving her thoughts for later, Sakura smiled at the woman who took care of Sarada and handed her the small bag that held her things.

"Hello Rin, how are you?"

The young woman had started volunteering at the center when Tadashi had first started and eventually had been hired by the time Sarada had been enrolled. She had taken care of both of her kids and knew them as if they were her own.

"I'm doing great! They finally approved my application to work in the academy!"

Her face radiated with excitement as Sakura handed Sarada off to her. They spoke for a moment longer until Tadashi began tugging at her hand with an impatience only a seven year old could have. The academy wasn't too far off, only a couple minutes walk and when arriving, her son stood his ground, reminding her of the missing kunai.

"Hey Tadashi! Come on, Shikadai already saved us a seat!"

Tadashi turned around at the sound of one of his friends voice and waved back. Sakura waved to one of the mothers and turned to her son to bend to his eye level.

"Give me a kiss before you go."

Tadashi groaned and his bottom lip stuck out. He had a mess of black hair with wild spikes and his fathers black eyes that were usually passionate and always gave him away. His face, on the other hand, was a mixture of both of his parents and depended on what mood he was in that his face would mold into one of theirs.

"Mom!"

He whined out loud and crossed his arms firmly against his chest. Sakura felt a warm feeling in her stomach at the comical antics of her son and pointed at her cheek and smiled as he groaned again. He looked around quickly, as if making sure the coast was clear, and placed a peck on her cheek and then scrambled away.

"See you later mom!"

Sakura smiled at the retreating form of her son and didn't leave until she saw him enter the building.

"Alright you, your turn."

Kisuke had fallen asleep long time ago and was snuggled in deep in his sling. Making her way through the village, she was stopped by some villagers that greeted her or wanted to ask her something that dealt with her knowledge in the medical field. Konohagakure had taken some time to regenerate not only from Peins attack but from the war itself. It had taken a couple of years, Tsunade and Kakashi's leadership and the hard work of all the villagers to bring the village back to somewhat of its former glory.

Just moments away from the hospital, the Naruto statue came into view. It stood tall and was made out of stone. It had been created as an ever lasting tribute of her fallen comrade and stood tall and proud in the center of their village. Hands were at his sides, the outlines of his ever present jacket and pants had been greatly defined by the artist and a wide grin with closed eyes and whiskers and all. It almost stood as tall as the Hokage building and had been placed in the large plaza where everyone could come and pay their respects.

It had been a gloomy couple of days. It had rained and thundered and some of the streets had flooded just a bit but it eventually let up and people resumed with their life. Many of her friends had climbed the ranks and were kept busy on missions and helping out around the village, others had been sent away to other villages to help them out and keep the peace. Others had married off and had begun raising children and taking care of houses and spouses. Hinata had been wedded off after returning from the war to one of the Hyuuga clans very own and had taken head of the clan. Ino and Sai had moved in together after a couple of months of not knowing whether or not Sai had actual feelings for her.

"Sakura-sensei! Welcome back! How's our little Kisuke doing today?"

The hospital, on the other hand, hadn't changed much since she had decided not to continue working after Saradas birth. It had been a difficult decision to make but she had done it during a time Sasuke hadn't been doing well, mentally speaking. His nightmares had started again and what remained of his missing limb would flare up in pain every now and then. He had kept it hidden from her for months until she woke up once to his panting and groans of pain. From then on, she decided to stay home and take care of the kids while he went away to do whatever he needed to do. There were days that they would call her in for cases that they couldn't handle and with Tsunade away enjoying her "retirement" she was the next best thing they had. For a little extra money, they had her teach classes to the newest medical-nins and pass down her knowledge to those who wanted to listen.

"Just a general check up Amina. His fever has gone down but he's still a bit warm."

She grabbed a clipboard and they went down to pediatrics which was a huge transition from all the other floors. Everything was suddenly brighter with colors splashed around, drawings on the walls and toys scattered around the beds and floors. After having her first child, she didn't have the heart to treat them whenever it came to anything dealing with needles or even a simple diagnosis. Put her on the field with wounded ninjas and bloody hands that would take days to remove the red tint and she would do fine. One of her kids having a scrape or a flu and she would get woozy.

"You don't have a check up until the end of this week either but since you're already here, we could do it today and you wouldn't have to make your way back."

Sakura didn't mind coming to the hospital. There was a certain comfort in coming here, in walking through the familiar hallways and inhaling the smell of antiseptic. She had dedicated long hours and nights to this place since her training with Tsunade and loved every minute of it here. She also found it as an excuse of leaving the house because she hated staying there alone and isolated on the silent Uchiha compound. Although the newly built one wasn't much compared to the old one, it was decent sized with some land and a park where some kids from the village actually came to play on sometimes.

"Sure, let's do it and I'll be out of your hair until next week."

Giving the young woman a friendly smile, the woman whom she herself had trained, she placed Kisuke on the mat and stepped back to give her some space.

* * *

The front door had softly clicked shut just as Sakura had pulled the roasted chicken out of the oven.

"Hey dad! Have you seen my kunai?"

The end of his sentence had been muffled. He and Sarada had gotten into the habit of pressing themselves against his leg whenever he came home and wrapping themselves around his waist and watch him make an attempt to walk with the two holding on for dear life.

She couldn't hear his response, only a mumble before he appeared at the kitchen with the kids in tow. They held on tight, giggling and Sarada squealing as he playfully shook the leg she was on. Sakura crossed her arms against her chest and smiled at her little family. Sasuke had aged gracefully; the Uchihas had been known for their beauty and he was a clear representation of it. He had let his hair grow long and didn't seem to care about the bangs in front of his face that covered his left eye or the fact that his hair had lost the spikes in the back from his childhood and was now straight and brushed the top of his shoulders.

Whenever he wasn't sent on missions he took to wearing a simple yukata whenever he stayed home or went out in the village. When he went to visit the grave site he wore a shirt and gray sweatpants that he used to do any activities or to train in. Sarada was holding on to the waistband of his pants and looked up to her father with utter joy.

"Dad says he thinks my kunai might be in the backyard from the last time we trained."

Sasuke grabbed the place mats and began placing them on the dining table with the kids following after him like small ducklings. They helped place the chopsticks to the assigned seats and the cups that each member had where they belonged. Dinner soon began with the two of them rambling on about their day and what they learned or who they had hung out with as they ate. Sasuke sat between the two and listened to them ever so patiently, nodding in certain places and making a noise according to what was said. He asked Tadashi questions about his training and Sarada on how it was going at the center.

"There's a new boy there and he doesn't talk to anyone. I tried talking to him but he just stays quiet."

She pouted and clung onto his sleeve as she stared at his face. Sakura had made a comment to him once on how Sarada liked to hold on to him for long periods of time and was always reluctant to release him unless it was absolutely necessary. He had said he didn't mind and he didn't see it as something odd. Sakura suspected that he enjoyed the closeness the children brought to him and it had taken him a while to realize that they weren't made of glass and that with the smallest touch they weren't going to crumble and break.

"Maybe he just wants his space Sarada."

Sasuke suggested lightly and gingerly ate his rice. He remained skinny, no matter how much food Sakura made but had gotten a lot better through out the years. The first couple of them he had looked like he had gotten the life drained out of him and appeared to be a skeleton with skin walking around. No amount of food pills and weight gain programs she had given him had helped, even seeking help from the Akimichi clan hadn't done much.

"But papa!"

She whined and appeared not to understand the concept of the space her father was talking to her about.

"Listen to your father on this one Sarada-chan. He was one of those boys that needed all the space in the world."

Sasuke took his attention from his daughter away to look at her in front of him. The rinnegan peaked from behind his bangs for a moment before it vanished behind his hair. He stayed quiet and finished off his dinner before everyone else.

"I'll go on ahead and take a bath. Do you need any help with anything Sakura?"

She shook her head as he stood from the table and placed his chopsticks on top of the bowl. Before he left the room, he ran a hand through the children's hair and had wiggled his fingers at Kisuke before disappearing into the hallway. After getting the kids to help her put away the dishes to soak overnight and into the bath and in their pajamas, she tucked them in and kissed them goodnight.

Entering the bath, she released a breath of relief as she felt the days stress melt away into the water, allowing her to finally relax. The kids had finally been put to sleep and there was suddenly a silence over the household. The smell of lavender and eucalyptus curled around her and as she laid in the warm water, her mind began to wonder. The thought of her husband in the other room, laying fast asleep and knowing he wouldn't pay mind to her presence when she would walk in caused something to rumble deep within her.

She had long ago stopped trying to initiate any physical relationship with him seeing that it had only resulted in deep embarrassment and a discomfort for the two of them that would last for days. When they had gotten married they had consummated the marriage that very night and for a while Sakura felt as if she had been on a high off of being a newly wed with her longtime crush. It had been just a couple of weeks after their marriage that Sakura had found out that she was pregnant. During her pregnancy, Sasuke has been helpful at first but she began seeing less and less of him. Throughout the first couple of months, when she had still been working in the hospital, his presence at home gradually lessened. He had been there for Tadashi's birth but had missed Saradas and Kisukes. Their physical relationship was border line nonexistent and eventually it had become something that she learned to shove it all to the back of her mind so that it wouldn't affect her emotionally any longer.

Eventually she had found other methods that would satisfy her for the time being whenever it called or when she could find a moment of privacy. At first she had felt bad doing it because it almost felt like she wasn't supposed to as a married woman but when she realized that it was a quick alternative that worked, she became comfortable with the thought of it.

Draining the bath tub water after cleaning herself off, she wrapped a towel around her body. By the time she entered the room, Sasuke was already on his side of the bed, breathing softly and away from the door. She changed into her pajamas and slid under the covers.

Closing her eyes, she willed for sleep to come.


	3. Chapter 3

"Damn it."

Her eyes snapped open. Sasuke was awake and rubbing at his shoulder, a light sheen of sweat on his face.

"Is your shoulder bothering you again?"

He turned to her, the light from the moon causing him to look paler than usual.

"It's fine, I'm sorry I woke you up."

Sakura rolled onto her side and looked up at him as he continued rubbing at the muscle.

"Have the pains been coming often?"

Sasuke looked tired and his hair was all disheveled from running his hands through it but he still managed to look utterly ethereal. If she focused enough she could make out the rings of the rinnegan now that his hair had been moved from his face.

"It's been happening more often than usual but they usually dull down pretty quickly."

Placing a hand on his back, a green light suddenly shone in the room. She tried soothing his pain but was on alert for anything happening out of the ordinary. Everything seemed fine other than the fact that the muscle was a just a tad warm.

"I can get you some medicine from the hospital if you like."

He shook his head, his brow smoothed as he released his shoulder and exhaled a heavy breath.

"No, it's gone now. Thank you."

Sasuke laid back and closed his eyes for a few moments, just breathing away the pain until he turned over and rested on his arm.

* * *

There was a sudden chill in the air that day on their walk to the center. Some Anbu were jumping on the roofs and towards the Hokage building but to Sakura's trained eye they seemed to be in a hurry. Some of the kids trialed after them down on the street, Tadashi looking out in awe as they disappeared in blurs. Ever since his godfather had spoken to him about being in the Anbu in his younger years that was all the little boy could talk about becoming.

Kisuke squirmed in the pocket of the baby sling and cried out. He rubbed his tiny face against her chest and wailed an ear piercing scream. Sakura grabbed him and started patting his back and bouncing him up and down while Tadashi held on to his sisters hand.

"Is it going to rain?! We were supposed to train outside today!"

Tadashi groaned and used his unoccupied hand to drag it down his cheek. Sarada giggled and tried grabbing his hair so that he could entertain her during the walk. Sakura looked up again and noticed that the sky was turning into a dangerous looking gray and black with thunder rumbling off in the distance. The villagers seemed confused at the sudden change of temperature and some began to even look nervous.

"Come on kids, lets go."

Picking up the pace, she had dropped the two off, leaving Kisuke with Rin and told her she would be back soon. It was when she had stopped by the Naruto statue that the rain began pouring over the village in large drops and with a powerful force. It splattered off tin roofs and slid into the streets like slithering serpents. Many ran for shelter, others shrieked at the sudden out pour of freezing water. A stray lightning bolt hit outside the wall that protected the village, another hit the barrier that protected them.

"Sakura-san."

She whipped around, not having sensed any chakra, to see a masked anbu standing before her.

"Come with me. Hokage-sama has requested you."

She had to move her bangs away from her eyes to see where she was going through the down pour as they headed towards the Hokage tower. Jumping in through the window and in the Hokage's office, she noticed that not only Kakashi was there but also a furious looking Sasuke.

"What's going on?"

She accepted the towel that was handed to her by the Anbu before Kakashi thanked him for his services and dismissed him. Trying to dry herself off, she wrapped the immense towel around her shivering form and looked between the two men. Kakashi looked over at Sasuke who just stared out into the village with a furrowed brow and clenched fists.

Kakashi sighed and walked around his desk. Their old sensei had aged quite a bit, the stress of being Hokage and running a village as big as theirs right after a war hadn't helped. He managed to run it smoothly though and with just a couple of years, Konohagakure was up and running once more.

"It seems I will have to be the bearer of bad news..."

He looked at Sasuke once more before bringing his eyes over to Sakura. Thunder crackled in the distance, a bit closer than before and seemed to darken the room with shadows and an ominous feeling. Kakashi closed his eyes and seemed his age for a moment before gesturing over to Sasuke.

"Sasuke has informed me that someone has stolen Naruto's body."

Another crackle of lightning, this one was quick and loud and seemed to shake the windows with tremendous force. Her eyes widened and the towel slowly slid from her shoulders.

"What do you mean stole his body? Why would someone want to steal a seven year old corpse?!"

Sasuke turned to her, the maddening look he gave her actually caused her to draw back a bit. Kakashi ran a hand through his hair and leaned against the wooden desk.

"We were thinking the same thing. I had called you here because I thought you might as well know seeing the grave site isn't that far from the Uchiha compound."

Sakura's mind was in many different places all at the same time trying to make sense of this. The grave was about three miles from their home and something like a grave robbery happening so close to her home and her children brought chills down her spine. It wasn't just a body, it was her best friends grave that had been disturbed. Someone had gone and disrupted the place where not only her friend laid but also where her husband spent a majority of his time in.

"Do we have any idea who could have done thi-"

The door to the office slammed open and the three of them turned to see a random jounin with a crazed look and drenched from head to toe.

"Hokage-sama! There's a disturbance at the front gate!"

They moved quickly as the man led the way through the blinding storm towards the front gate, the village disappearing in the pouring rain and the thundering of her heart beat couldn't drown out the water falling on them. Once they arrived at the gate, Izumo and Kotetsu were already there crowding around something and turned to them when they had landed on the ground.

Their faces were the epitome of shock; pales faces and gaping mouths they moved aside and suddenly her blood ran cold and it had nothing to do with the icy water sliding down her skin.

There, right in front of them, laid a body. Not just any body, it was Naruto not looking a day older than sixteen. His skin looked healthy and his hair was the same bright yellow that marked the blond out in a crowd. He laid on the ground, bare to the world with droplets of water running down his body and unconscious to everything happening around him. Missing limb and all, there was dirt smeared on his skin and leaves with seeds still attached to him were holding on for dear life as the drops of water tried to pry them off.

A sharp pain crossed her lower abdomen and then another one zipped right by the same place in a quicker pace. It was a pain that she knew very well after three births but she wasn't due for another two months and yet the contractions were hitting her harder than ever. She fell onto her knees and clutched at where the pain was and winced when she felt the baby shift inside her. Sasuke stood still like a stone statue even as she gripped his pant leg, his eyes never moving from the body in front of them.

Kakashi was the first to react out of all of them. He made his way over and thoroughly inspected the body of his former student, going as far as poking and prodding. She didn't know what to think or how to react and when she turned to her husband she found him clutching his shoulder and gritting his teeth.

"It's him Kakashi."

They looked at each other, a silent conversation happened with just the look of their eyes before Kakashi took off his Hokage robe, wrapped it around the body and hoisted him over his shoulder.

"Not a word about this to anyone, you two."

Izumo and Kotetsu nodded. Sasuke's hand slid underneath her elbow and hand to help her stand and as she held her stomach in hopes to sooth the pain away, she noticed that Sasuke wasn't really looking at her. His hair at the moment reminded her of Sai's ink, black as the night sky and it pressed against his face seeing he made no move to swipe it away. His eyes were in turmoil and she had never seen so many emotions in them churning and boiling away.

"Sakura, why don't you go to the hospital with Kakashi and get those pains checked out?"

It wasn't meant to be a question. It was a suggestion that wasn't for her to fight back on. She nodded slowly, releasing her hand from his and watched him disappear. The hospital building was quiet when she walked in. The only people inside the waiting room were mothers with sniffling children and older couples reading the magazines left there for them.

"Hokage-sama!"

Some of the nurses huddled by the front desk, worried expressions on their faces as Kakashi walked by them with a covered body over his shoulders.

"Good morning everyone! I hope everything is well with you all. If you will excuse me, I will be borrowing the top floor for a while."

He disappeared into the darkness of the hallway, his steps retreating with his body.

"Can I have a little help over here?"

Their heads turned to Sakura, who by now had a light sheen of sweat on her forehead and had an arm wrapped around the side of her stomach while the other held her up.

"Sakura-sensei! What's wrong?!"

If there hadn't been so much pain shooting down her stomach she actually would have laughed a little. They bustled around looking like frazzled hens in a small coop as one brought over a wheelchair and another brought out her charts. The whole process was all too similar as they led her down the corridor and into a well decorated room and they bustled around already creating gossip between them about what the Hokage could possibly be doing upstairs with an unknown body. Once there was an IV placed in her, the world around her suddenly seemed to slow down and the pain slowly dulled. She was asked questions that were muffled by the overwhelming sense of sleep and as she nodded to anything that was said, her eyelids drooped and she suddenly felt so at peace.

* * *

"Sai, I told you not to touch the kitchen damn it. That's the third one this month we're going to have to replace."

Sakura's brow furrowed. Why was she suddenly hearing Ino's voice? She tried opening her eyes but the sun that was filtering into the room was too bright and it hurt to look into it.

"Jeez Ino, be quiet."

Ino hurriedly clicked on Sai and grabbed Sakura's hand.

"Hey Sleeping Beauty."

Sakura waved at the window and Ino got the idea of it seeing as it suddenly got darker. The room became shrouded in darkness and it became easier to open her eyes and take a look around her surroundings. The hospital room had almost a sleepy mood to it with the TV on a soap opera channel but on mute and the gentle whoosh of the air conditioner above her.

"Where's Sasuke?"

Ino's faced changed into a worried look but she hurriedly tried to put a smile on her face. It just came out pained as she gripped Sakura's hand, petting it for a moment before she sat next to Sakura's thigh.

"Sasuke came by and asked me to stay with you for him. He disappeared before I could ask him if everything was alright. I'm just glad the nurses allowed me in."

Sakura listened as Ino rattled on about this and that. Over the years her hair had lengthen and her body had become more pronounced. Even after having Inojin, it hadn't taken her long to get the curvy figure she loved to show off. Their friendship had strengthen after the war and even more when their pregnancy had more or less been around the same time. She tried to adjust herself on the bed but the lower half of her body shot her with pain, a pain so excruciating that a whimper escaped past her lips and her arms wobbled as she tried not to move anymore.

"It's best if you don't move much, the doctor said you might open your stitches if you do."

Confused at the heavy feeling, she lifted her hospital gown to see where the doctor had made an incision and had stitched it back up; the ugly color that her skin had as it tried to repair itself. If there was an incision there then that mean...

"Ino, where is my baby?"

There came that look again. The furrowed brow and the eyes filled with turmoil. She wrung her hands out as if they were a wet towel but her gaze didn't waver.

"They're in the NICU."

"They?!"

Ino nodded, her bangs flopping with her until she moved them behind her ear. The beeping of her heart monitor picked up and she clutched the crisp sheets with sweaty hands. Her childhood friend spoke words, words that she tried to understand but at the moment she felt like she was swimming. Everything seemed so surreal, as if this wasn't supposed to be her life and some higher being was trying to ruin her life all in one punch.

"...apparently the smallest one hid behind the bigger one and their heartbeats were in sync with one another so that's why they said there was no record of your checkups of you carrying twins. They were born very early, which is why they're in NICU. That's all the doctor told me"

Sakura just stared blankly at the screen at where there was a man holding a woman close to him even as she tried getting out of his arms. He spoke words Sakura couldn't hear but the actress looked at him with such love in her face that it made her wonder if she's ever had that certain look on her face.

"I want to see them."

Ino hesitated for a moment but stood just as quick and left the room. It hadn't taken long until a nurse walked through the room, one of the many faces Sakura herself had trained, and with a quivering smile the nurse brought over a walker that would help her move around seeing that her body felt so heavy after all that it had been through. With Ino and the nurses help they moved slowly down the hallway and through doors that were pristine and had large glass windows on both sides. She was taken up to a window where there was a room on the other side of it painted in blue with a couch against the wall and two chairs. On either side of the walls were incubators where the children were kept.

From where she stood, she could see tiny bodies in the large machines and the computers with their information and too many tubes. One of the machines had a blanket draped over it while the other was allowed to have light filter through the glass. There were so many cords coming in and out of the machines thatshe could feel her stomach lurch at the image. She heaved but there wasn't much in her stomach so all she could do was gasp out as she held the walker with shaking hands.

"S-Sakura-san, are you all right?!"

Ino patted her back while the nurse tried to check her but instead Sakura waved her off.

"Why wasn't I moved in with them?"

She looked nervous as Sakura stared at her and she could definitely tell that ex-medic nin's patience was running thin.

"As you know, Sakurasan, premature babies are highly susceptible to disease and we wanted to wait just a bit longer for your incision to get better before we put you in there with them. If you're feeling up to it we can put you on a pump and feed them with your own milk. We've had them with a wet nurse for the past couple of days."

That most definitely caught her attention.

"Past couple of days? How long have I been out?"

Checking her clipboard quickly, the nurse pressed it against her chest.

"About two days. You came with a large quantity of stress that had had your body working so hard it had exhausted itself and the doctor said that if they weren't taken out then, there was a high chance that they could have died."

Looking back into the room, she placed a hand on the glass as she noticed a nurse come in and check the monitors.

"Can I go back to my room now?"

She got settled on the bed as the nurse promised her to keep her updated and would bring her a small lunch for her to try. Ino took the chair by the bed and looked at her friend who, at the moment, looked drained of youth and tired of living.

"Where's Tadashi, Sarada and Kisuke?"

"You're mom and dad are staying over at your house for the time being. They're making sure the kids are taken to school and Kisuke is dropped off at the center when your parents have to go to work."

The sigh that came out of her was of relief. They would be fine in her parents hands and she was just glad they could take care of them on such short notice. Sakura laid back on the bed and rubbed a hand on her forehead, the ever lasting headache seeming like it wouldn't ever leave.

"You haven't asked me yet about Sasuke."

Her friends voice was low, something not usually found in Ino Yamanka but Sakura was sure that she didn't look the best right now so Ino was handling her with care.

"Because I already know what he's doing but right now my children are my priority, not him."


End file.
